Obsidian Roses
by Greyrosereddragon
Summary: "How far are you willing to go to protect the ones you love?" After a brutal attack on Beacon, Ruby disappears without a trace. Desperate, Weiss accepts the help of a mysterious stranger who is not what she seems. All the while, a person Ruby would rather forget closes in... (Updated summary)
1. Prologue: A Phantom of Remorse

**Hello my loyal fans, and new people that have randomly clicked on this story! Today, I am bringing you a new story for the RWBY fandom! **

**So, yeah... I get so many story ideas it isn't even funny. For example, I just got into the Rhythm Thief. A good game overall, even with the more challenging mini-games (Damn whats-his-face shot me! Seriously, all I was doing was minding my own business, stealing the thing he wanted, and BAM! He shot me! And he knocked off my hat! But I was a bad-ass and put it back on even though I was writhing in pain. He also he blew my cover! The nerve!). So now I an awesome idea for a Rhythm Thief/RWBY crossover one day after I was introduced to it. **

**...**

**My mind works overtime.**

**...**

**Anyways, I have befriended Wheeliefan101, who sits next to me in reading, so she is now forced to read all my rough drafts. Check out her profile for a good laugh! **

**Now enjoy! Or I sick Yang on you.**

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Prologue

A Phantom of Remorse

(Omniscient)

"Hey, lady!" Upon hearing the shout, the cloaked teen turned. Her nose wrinkled at the stench of alcohol wafting off the man stumbling towards her.

"Can I help you, sir?" She said, her body becoming more tense with each step the drunkard took.

He gave the girl a lopsided grin, oblivious to the danger in approaching. "How about you and I have some fun tonight?"

"Sorry," She backed up slightly. "But I have plans."

"I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." The man brought out a switch-blade that glimmered in the moonlight.

The girl sighed and ran fingers through her hair. "I guess it can't be helped then. Shame, healthy, non-drunkards taste better."

The man's sluggish mind couldn't hope to process what happened next. One moment, he was launching himself at the teen in an awkward lunge, the next, she was gone, leaving behind a flurry of black rose petals. A shout of confusion rose in his throat only to be choked back down when he was dragged into the alleyway by a figure moving too fast to see. He fell into the depths of dissolution a few seconds later.

The vampire walked away after finishing with her prey. The innocent mask of a child had been cast a side, leaving only the darkness underneath. The hollow red that lay unconcealed by her pitch-black hair searched wildly for her next meal. Anyone who gazed into that eye would find no traces of anything human. No emotion will ever show in that gaze expect for the insane bloodlust that forever burns in her throat. The soulless, moral-less killer that only thought of humans as play-things waiting to be put out of their misery.

But if anyone dared to draw back the dark curtain shattered by three crimson strands, they may see something different. They would see the mutilated remains of a girl who was cursed to live eternity with only one half of her soul, knowing that all who crossed her path were doomed to fall to the darkness now coursing through her veins. The girl who wished she was strong enough to face the demon lurking where the other part of her soul should be.

"You." For the second time that night, she turned to face the source of the annoying distraction. As she turned, she heard the crackle of gunfire and quickly dodged the bullet barreling towards her heart.

Quickly deciding to spite the man who dared to shoot at her, she doubled over in fake pain, clutching her shoulder like it had been hit. The vampire's fingers twitched, anticipating the feel of cold metal ripping through flesh and the sight of terror stained upon the gunman's face.

The huntsman mentally applauded himself for finding a Grimm that had slipped through the city's defenses. The Grimm was not one of the types he was familiar with, but he was certain that he would be regarded a hero for killing it. He kicked his catch over, eager to claim his prize.

Immediately, he was captivated by the doe-like eyes staring up at him. He hadn't shot a Grimm; he shot a young girl! The ten-year-old's eyes were brimming with tears, successfully hiding the cold intelligence waiting to pounce.

"Shhhh, it's okay. Let me see the wound." The huntsman cooed, gingerly peeling back the child's hands from her shoulder. His eyebrows knitted together when he saw no damage what so ever.

"Tricked ya'!" The girl cackled as he was impaled by a blade longer than his body. She returned back to her vampire form in a flash of rose petals. "Silly human," The vampire slid her beloved sword out of the corpse and easily swung it over her shoulder. "Don't you know judging a book by its cover can kill you?"

Insane laughter bubbled out of her throat. It was a hollow sound; no remorse, no joy, just laughter that could traumatize a hardened soldier. The demon walked away, leaving the ghost of who she once was behind.

The phantom gazed at the huntsman sadly, knowing he was neither the first nor the last. "I'm sorry, Mom." Silver tears dripped down the girl's face. "This never would have happen if I wasn't such a coward."

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**SOOOOOOO... Vampires. They get pissed when you try to hit on them. That's all I have to say.**

**Please Follow, Favorite and Review. They're food to the writer's soul. **


	2. 1: Midnight

**Wow, I didn't expect this much publicity. This makes me happy and sad at the same time...**

**Anyways... UPDATE IN ONLY ONE WEEK. That's a new record for me. Don't expect them that often though, I'm terrible at updates.**

**Oh, Thatonekidnobodylikes, just because someone is running around in a cloak and has a rose-petal semblance doesn't mean they're Ruby. Adam has a semblance that involves rose-petals too. The vampire's semblance is much different than Ruby's anyways (I'm not going to tell you what it is because of spoilers, but rest assured that it is bad-ass). Besides, she can achieve high speeds without the use of Aura, so it's basically worthless to her. **

**Please note that this story takes place 7 years after the prologue and enjoy!**

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Chapter 1

Midnight

(Weiss's POV)

Twelve long dongs vibrated through the still night air, laughing at the fact that a student was wandering around campus, looking for someone who was probably back in bed by now. I huffed as my mind searched for a potential reason why Ruby was absent. Bathroom? First thing I checked. Late-night snack? No sign of the dorm's kitchen nor the cafeteria being disturbed.

What could she possibly be doing in the middle of the night? More importantly, why was I so worried about her? The team leader could take care of herself, even if she was two years younger than the rest of us. I didn't need to keep up with her. Yang already did that, much to Ruby's dismay.

Though the prospect of giving up and going back to bed was tempting, my feet kept moving forward. Soon, I found myself in the forested area of the campus. In the daytime, students would come here to study, hang out with friends, but at night was a different story. There was no laughing of friends or sounds of metal sparring against metal. An eerie silence dominated the park, only broken to the rustling of the wind and the crunching of leaves underfoot.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up when my Aura sensed the presence of another. My hand clamped around Myrtenaster's handle. I slowly crept forward, ready to fight if necessary. Parting some branches, I found the origin.

In the middle of a small moonlit clearing, an unmoving figure with dark, medium length hair sat in the grass. I assumed it was a girl, but I couldn't tell for sure since I only saw her back. Stuck in the ground beside her was a giant straightened scythe-like blade. The handle was fitted into a notch a couple inches away from the broad end of the blade. The long silver chain connected to it sat in a coil next to the sword. The massive blade easily towered over its master.

A glimmer of movement caught my eye. Was that a flower petal? Following the first one, several shadowy rose petals began to float down in a nonexistent breeze. I furrowed my eyebrows. _What..?_

The girl suddenly rose up with her hand curling around the handle of her weapon. In one fluid motion, she pulled out the sword and stepped into a two-handed battle stance similar to a katana user's. For a moment, she stood there in the middle of the whirlwind of fluttering petals. I could practically feel the raw power coiled into those muscles.

Then she struck. The blade turned into a flash of darkened silver as she brought it down in a powerful downward stroke. The earth cracked at the sheer force of the blow. Instead of taking her weapon out of the ground, she jumped on top of it and launched herself off almost immediately. The chain wrapped around her arm followed in pursuit. With a short war cry, the huntress yanked the chain and performed a wide diagonal slash. As the blade neared the earth, she lunged forward, grabbing the handle while twisting in midair to land facing the opposite direction.

I watched in amazement as she continued her elaborate dance. She moved with the speed and strength of a cougar, never letting up for a single second. She must have been be senior or maybe a teacher; though, I have never seen her before.

The blade-wielder slid to a stop in profile. I took in every detail, desperate to find out who this mysterious warrior was.

Her hair was cut where the left side of her face was covered by her bangs. Three strands had been dyed a blood-red, making it look like a Grimm had clawed her eye out. The tank top and sweat pants she wore hung loosely on her slender frame. Skin paler than snow seemed to glow with an unearthly brilliance in the moonlight.

The runes lining the blade suddenly ignited, basking the sword in a bright light. The light disappeared as fast as it came, leaving behind a small black knife. Quickly sheathing the new blade, the warrior let out a deep sigh. The rose petals surrounding her faded out of existence. Hmm, they must be some sort of Aura ability or something like that.

Panic washed over me as she began to head towards the thicket that concealed me. Quickly, I dashed towards a nearby tree and hid behind it. Something inside me screamed that if she saw me, I was dead. I couldn't grasp what triggered the sudden adrenaline-filled response, but I trusted it nonetheless.

"There is no use hiding," My breath caught in my throat. Timidly, I peeked around the tree. The huntress had disappeared. A cold puff of air tickled my ear. "I know your there, Princess."

Unsheathing my rapier, I spun around and stabbed at the figure behind me. The sharp clang of metal on metal spilt the air as Myrtenaster clashed with the huntress' unnamed blade, now back in its larger form. Knocking my sword away, she retaliated with a stab of her own. I jumped back too late, and the razor-sharp edge drew blood.

Steady gasps escaped my lips as I tried to ignore the pain flaring at my side. An unknown emotion flickered in the warrior's visible eye. Was that disappointment? Pain? Or was it lust? The light disappeared as fast as it appeared.

I pointed my blade at her and tried to keep my voice steady. "Who are you? And why did you attack me?"

"My name's Onyx." Her voice had a smoothly unnerving hallow tone, like someone had taken away all her feelings. "That's all you need to know about me."

"That doesn't explain why you're here."

Onyx tilted her head to the side in an innocent matter. "If I remember correctly, you never told me what you're doing here either."

"That's none of your concern." For a moment, we stood there staring at each other. While I was in a rigid battle stance, she was relaxed and had her weapon pointing lazily at the ground. The huntress gazed at my wound with a blank expression. A spark of anger ignited in my chest. She isn't even paying attention!

"You know, blood smells even more appetizing when its owner is experiencing intense emotion, so you getting angry is not really helping your position."

All that I managed to choke out was a strangled 'Huh?'. Confusion momentarily doused my anger.

Onyx growled and dug her nails into her scalp. "Don't you get it? I'm dangerous!" A crazed laugh rumbled in her chest. "Yet, you're always there! If it's not you, it's someone else I can't kill! Everywhere I go, the echoes of past sin haunt me. Every single breath I take reminds me of what I cannot forget!"

"You're not making any sense!" Onyx looked up at me. An eerie calm replaced the insanity that burned in her eye moments earlier. As much as I tried to wrap my mind around what's happening, nothing but confusion came.

Suddenly, she was right in front of me. I yelped and instinctively attempted to knock her away with my rapier. The warrior caught Myrtenaster's blade with her bare hand, impervious to the metal biting into her palm. Onyx leaned closer until our faces where inches apart.

My lunges quit working as her crimson eye bore into mine. I wanted to scream, to shout, to do anything, but my body was paralyzed. I was going to die and not even a miracle could save me from my fate. All I could do was wait.

"I'm sorry," Her freezing breath chilled me to my very core. "I truly am."

My eyes began feel heavy as dizziness clouded my senses. The world began to fade into an unforgiving blackness. A part of me shouted to stay awake but what was the point? My fate had been sealed.

The last thing I felt was something wet graze my wound before I lost conscience.

(Blake's POV)

A soft murmur reached my ears. Looking up from my book, I glanced at Weiss' sleeping form. _That's odd._ I hadn't noticed she had returned. She left quite noisily a half an hour ago, and I would imagine I would have heard her. Hmm, I must have been too engrossed in my book to realize.

That's when I noticed the faint tang of blood in the air. Taking in a big whiff, my keen sense of smell quickly found the source: Weiss. _Is she bleeding or something?_ I thought as I made my way over to her bed and gingerly pulled back the covers. The horror of what I saw froze my heart in place. I never thought I would see anything like that again, much less so soon.

A glowing glyph was carved into the flesh of heiress' left shoulder. The unearthly glow faded in and out with her breathing. Slipping through my grasp, the sheet fluttered down to once again mask the dark secret underneath.

Haunted, I turned to be met with something even more disturbing. A tall, lean woman with a single red eye stared down at me. A chaotic evil was reflected in that eye: one that contained bloodlust that all the bleeding souls in the universe couldn't hope to satisfy.

"I don't care if you are on my little sister's team. If you tell _anyone_ about this, I won't hesitate to kill you." And with that, she disappeared into the night.

I knew immediately what that woman was. The most dangerous and monstrous of all Grimm: the vampire.

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**I had so much trouble with the description for Onyx's weapon. Yea.. If you couldn't tell, Onyx's weapon is based off of Ichigo's first shikai and Tsubuki's uncanny sword/chain scythe form. **

**On a random note, Bumblebee will be in here! At first I was a little if-y, but what the heck, I'll do it anyways.**

**Review, favorite and follow! I would love some feedback! **


	3. 2: The Reaper

**Slight blood warning towards the end, nothing too vivid though. **

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Chapter 2

The Reaper

(Omniscient)

Ruby ran through the twisted hallways of her dreams. Her heavy footfalls echoed off the bloodied walls. Every once in a while, she would pass a corpse thrown aside without a second thought. The huntress dared not look at them or else memories best left forgotten would surface. Memories that littered her mind like gravestones jutting out of a flattened field.

Her body screamed for her to stop while her mind yelled to go faster. There was really no point in what she was doing, but she had to try. Ruby was tired of this demented limbo she was trapped in. She would escape, even if it cost her life.

All the while, the howls of the beast grew louder.

(Weiss' POV)

No matter how hard I tried, I could not get last night out of my head. When I attempted to gather information, the other members of my team shrugged me off. Ruby said that she had left bed to get a snack, but she was only gone for a few minutes. Blake proposed that it was just a dream. I wanted to believe her, but I knew it was real.

Even when it wasn't supposed to, my mind drifted back to the mysterious huntress. I purposely avoided mentioning Onyx to the others, I felt it was something I should keep to myself. The encounter had left me paranoid. I could swear I could feel her icy gaze on me even when I was alone. The sensation had let up last period, but now it was back at full force.

I sighed and glanced around the classroom. The bell had already rung, yet the battle arts teacher was absent. Blake was reading a book while Yang was trying to get her attention. Every time the fiery huntress attempted to snatch her book, Blake would block her without looking. It was amusing Yang to say the least.

Ruby was a different story. I expected her to try to spark up conversation with me out of sheer boredom; however she remained silent. All the boundless energy she usually possessed had drained away, leaving a lifeless statue staring off into the distance. One could suggest that she was just hadn't gotten enough sleep, yet her appearance showed no evidence of that being the case. In fact, she looked more tense than weary. The pale porcelain skin on her face was drawn tightly into a small scowl. Her posture resembled that of a gargoyle perched atop a building, one never sure if it was really stone or not.

Worry stirred in my gut. Whoever this was, it wasn't Ruby.

The door suddenly swung open to reveal Professor R. "Good afternoon, class. Please excuse my tardiness, I was talking to an old friend." He stepped aside to expose a stocky man in black armor. "This is Dante. He will be helping me in today's demonstration."

The two huntsmen strolled to the center of the classroom. There was a stark difference between the two. Dante was a powerful juggernaut looking to be over seven feet tall, while the professor was an average height man with a red and navy tux and fedora. The bigger huntsman carried a shield on his arm, a massive battleax on his back and a sheathed great sword at his hip. If R had a weapon on his person, he didn't display it like Dante did.

"But before all that, I need a volunteer!" No one dared raise their hand. The teacher's smile dropped. "Anyone? No? Alright then, Ruby Rose please step up."

Maintaining her blank expression, Ruby stood up and walked to the front without a sound. "Get changed into your usual battle gear," R said in his usual chipper tone.

He turned back to the class after the young huntress left. "Can someone tell me what advantages and disadvantages Ruby would have against someone like Dante?"

Pyrrha's voice sounded from the row above me. "She's smaller and more mobile than Dante. In theory, she will easily be able to out speed him. But, since most of Ruby's attacks are made useless by Dante's armor, her speed might not be enough..."

Five minutes pasted by without a sign of Ruby. Those five minutes soon turned into twenty. Something was off. She should have been back in a blink of an eye. Eventually, the teacher called me out to go check on her.

_This has to have something to do with her odd behavior,_ I thought as I made my way towards the girl's locker room. This morning, Ruby was acting skittish and paranoid, constantly looking over her shoulder and jumping at the slightest movement. As the day trudged on, she grew more tense till the crimson huntress turned into an emotionless gargoyle waiting to pounce. I only now noticed the dangerous vibe lurking in the air. Ruby must have felt it earlier, yet refused to tell anyone.

Sighing and running my figures through my hair, I turned the corner. What I saw froze me in place. Blood was splattered across the lockers. In the middle of it all, a corpse with its throat torn out lay limp on the floor.

For a moment, I just stood there and stared. A voice broke me out of my trance. "Reaper! Turn around and face your fate."

Confused and startled, I spun around. Red met me head on as my body was slammed into the wall. The world melted into an unintelligible blur of color and sound. I thought I heard someone screaming my name. Was that Ruby? Or was it someone else?

I force myself to stay conscience and wait till the world made sense again. Slowly, reality became unclouded from the senseless haze I saw before. Clearing the remaining fog with a shake of my head, I gazed out the gapping cavern made in the wall.

Outside was a slaughterhouse.

A pile of mangled bodies lay under the feet of something that seem to have crawled out of Hell itself. The skull-like mask covering the demon's face was framed by a black and red mane that flickered in the wind like a bonfire.

Trying to escape his certain death, a huntsman ran for his life. The demon glanced up lazily at his fleeing form. Suddenly, a hand made of tiny wavering forms latched onto his leg and dragged him back to his fate. The man kicked and screamed, but to no avail.

"You said you were here to kill me." A hallow voice echoed from behind the mask. Its clawed hands curled around his throat. "Next time, I suggest you don't get innocent people caught in the crossfire!" The demon then ripped the man in two, letting his blood splash onto its dark cloak.

(The Demon's POV)

Time cannot heal every pain. This a fact I know all too well. Lately, the days that used to pass by so fast have slowed to a desperate crawl. An invisible hand had begun to turn the old knife embedded in my chest. The emptiness soon returned with it.

"Reaper." I murmured the name the vampires had called me by. Many name have been cast upon me, but Reaper was the only one that truly fit.

But the title did not hide the fact I was a fool. I thought Beacon would be a sanctuary where I could easily forget the howling winds of the past. A place where I could finally be myself, yet, now that I'm here, I seem to be hiding more than ever. The vampire attack had been a cruel reality check.

I was a monster, hated amongst humans and Grimm alike. My existence was against the laws of nature itself. A freak with a shattered soul.

To say I was only human would be a lie. I am not a human now, and, perhaps I never was. Normal humans could not wipe out a whole village out of existence in the blink of an eye. Normal Humans could not unlock an Oni with little to no training. Normal humans could not harness the life-force of the earth to do their bidding. Normal humans could die. I could not.

I wrapped arms around myself to try to contain my minimal body heat. Cold doesn't really bother me, but I still preferred a little heat.

My eyes searched the dusty storage room for something to distract me from my agony. True, this hideout of mine was a bit run down and had no electricity or running water, but it was isolated. A perfect place to just disappear for a while.

I sighed. Might as well get some work done. My body complained as I stood up from the awkward sitting position I was in. A dull ache awakened in my muscles, reminding me of the massive amount of Aura I spent earlier today.

Ignoring the immense weight that pulled down on my body, I approached a desk covered with books, scrolls and old sketches. On the wall above the desk was a parchment with seven rotating glyphs printed upon it. Each one shone with a different color.

I smiled to myself, but the grin faded as fast as it came. The icy blue glyph began to slow down before it finally halted in place. Its glow died soon after.

My eyes widened. "No, it can't be!" I fumbled with my phone. Fingers shaking, I quickly dialed his number.

He answered after a couple of rings. "I hope you realize I'm in class right now-"

"Forget the students!" I shouted frantically. "It really, _really_ important!"

Movement was heard on the other end. "It has to be for you to get this worked up. What is it?

"The Frozen Realm just collapsed."

An anxious silence fell between us. "How close where you to finishing the portal there?"

"Far from it."

"What's your progress on the rest?"

"I'm almost done with the Nightmare Realm's, I should have it finished within the week."

"Stay sharp. I doubt whoever did this is a friendly."

"You too, Qrow." I said before hanging up. _Whoever you are, I'm not letting you get the sword, even if it's the last thing I do._

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**For the record, I will refer to the demon-person as Reaper even though that's not his/her real name. Ok? Fudge, I love writing Reaper and Onyx: they're such fun characters! **

**Anyways, what happened to Ruby? She just disappeared...**

**...**

**Don't give me that look. I'm not telling you! You'll just have to find out next time.**

**Review, favorite and all of that stuff.**


	4. 3: Lost

**1,796 words. _1,796 words_. I was so close... so close to 1,800 it isn't even funny...**

**So this chapter is a little longer than the last two (both were around 1,600 minus AN), but half of it is dialogue. I'm not sure if that is a good, bad or netural thing. Probably netural. **

**Anyways, this chapter focuses on a really really really really _really_ important character, who has no name.**

**...**

**Well, a character that I cannot reveal the name of because of spoilers. I can already tell you it is not a member of team JNPR because they aren't important to the story.  
**

**Fun fact: the title of the chapter is name after the song Lost by Within Temptation (LOOK IT UP NOW). It's a very beautiful song and it fit what Weiss is feeling in this chapter. **

**Slight gore warning for killing someone zombie style. You'll see what I mean. **

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Chapter 3

Lost

(Omniscient)

"It's been awhile, my dear sister." The man brushed off the snow hiding the gravestone's inscription. "A lot has happened since I have last seen you."

"Your daughter has improved vastly in last year. She recently achieved the second stage of her Oni." He smiled softly. "I believe she is finally getting over her fear of Reaper."

His smile dropped. "At first, I could understand her fear, even in stage one, Reaper's immense power is terrifying." Grimacing, the huntsman recollected the horrors of his attempts to help his niece control her Oni, most resulting in a massacre of human and Grimm. "But after years of training, she never fully accepted that Reaper was an embodiment of her own power. I think she still blames herself for what happened to you. At times, I would come home and find her stabbing herself with every knife in the house. Why can't she understand that she couldn't have possible stopped that many Grimm in time."

Qrow glanced up at the barren white sky. "Your daughter is very talented, but she always adds to her burden. I wish she could finally realize that she is not alone in this world, even if she is the only one who possesses both a soul of everlasting light and one of eternal darkness."

(Weiss' POV)

A week had passed since the vampires attacked Beacon. Several students had vanished without a trace, including Ruby. The only logical reason for their disappearance was that the Grimm had taken them. That meant Ruby was either dead or a vampire. I hoped desperately for the former.

That simple fact brought unpleasant thoughts to my head. Thought of Ruby's lifeless red eyes staring in my soul as she pinned me down in an ocean of my own blood. The empty shell laughing like a hyena, devoid of any remnants of the Ruby I knew. She was gone, and there was nothing I could possibly do.

"So, what did I miss?" Yang appeared from around one of the many warehouse scattered across this maze.

"Well," Jaune scratched his head sheepishly. "All we have really been doing is wandering around, looking for this one haunted house."

"It's right in front of us, you dolt." I murmured to myself.

The huntsman glanced back at me. "What was that, Snow Angel?" I _really_ hated that nickname.

Letting out a deep sigh, I gestured towards the broken-down building before us.

"Oh… Yeah, that's definitely haunted."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go break that ghost's legs!" Shouted Nora before charging at the rotting door. The wood shattered on impact. "Ghost! We are here to break your legs!" The crazed redhead hefted her hammer in the air like a trophy.

Silence dominated the dimly lit ruins as we quietly moved in behind her. Weapons drawn, our eyes scanned the room for any sign of life.

Just as the room was dubbed safe, a twisted laugh sounded from the suspended walkways above us. My head shot up to meet the gaze of none other than Onyx. A cruel grin was starched across her pale features. "I'm sorry, but there are no ghosts here. You'll just have to play with me instead."

Something was different with the huntress. When I encountered her before, she seemed conflicted, slightly awkward and to actually care about me. Now, she was confident and wore a look of sick amusement on her face. Her cold demeanor almost felt faked.

"Honestly, I really don't feel like playing, so no thank you." I resisted the urge to face-palm when I heard him say that. I swear, Jaune can be more of a dunce that Ruby.

"Too bad, we're playing anyways." With a crackle, Onyx back flipped over the railing and landed flawless in front of us.

Pyrrha held Milo in its javelin form at the ready. "I take it you're the one who has been driving people away."

Onyx shrugged. "What can I say? I love to see the fear stained upon their faces as they beg for mercy."

"You're a vampire, aren't you?" Blake said in her usual cool tone, if she was only suggesting a flavor of ice-cream.

The pale warrior tilted her head to the side. Her expression retained some of the odd innocence she had a week ago. "And what brought up that conclusion?"

"It's simple." Blake narrowed her amber eyes. "I've seen you work before."

"I guess you'll be the first to die then." Onyx suddenly shot forward with her chain scythe in hand. Blake parried seconds before the blade would have decapitated her.

That's when all hell broke loose. The second that the two dark blades collided, Onyx slammed her boot into the huntress' stomach. Crimson beads gushed out of Blake's mouth as she was thrown to the floor like a discarded ragdoll.

A few seconds passed while I got over my shock. The sheer speed and strength of the warrior's blow was like a bolt of lightning. Blake easily had the fastest reaction time of the group and could usually land a few hits on her attacker before they could land one. For her to go down before she even realized what was happening was unheard of. If Onyx could do that without batting an eye, what else could she do?

Ren was the first to attempt a counterattack. The huntsman tried to sweep her legs out from under her, but ultimately failed when Onyx managed to ensnare his neck with her weapon's long and twisting chain. Gasping, the martial arts expert dropped his twin gun-blades and clawed at the metal in a vain attempt to free himself.

Another disturbed chuckle escaped the vampire's lips as she leaped back up to the gangway with her prize. "Do you really want to continue this? Because it seems to me that you can't even stand up to a worthless Grimm." Onyx tighten the chain causing Ren desperately gag for air. "How can you ever hope to defeat me? Leave, now and maybe I'll send back your little friend with some life left in him."

Before anyone could answer, Nora jumped up and smashed Magnhild into the warrior's forehead. The skull shattered with a wet crunch, spewing out bone and grey matter. Onyx's headless body swayed then toppled over the railing, hitting the floor with a sickening thud.

Nora climbed down with the wheezing Ren on her back. Gingerly, she laid him down next to Blake. A solemn expression dominated the orange-haired teen's face.

"I'm fine, Nora," The quiet huntsman said, sensing his friend's concern. "I just need some time to catch my breath."

"Sadly, the same can't be said for Blake." Pyrrha glanced up from examining the dark huntress' wounds. "That blow managed to break her bottom two ribs. I've already called in a relief team."

A long silence spanned on after that, no one daring to speak of the foe we just conquered. We all knew if Nora hadn't taken Onyx by surprise, we would all be in worst shape than Blake.

My gaze shifted over to the warrior's limp frame. She could have easily defeated us all in a blink of an eye, but she didn't. I furrowed my eyebrows in thought. She had been hiding something and I wanted to know what it was.

Approaching the body, I kneeled down to get a better look. At first glance, the corpse seemed normal, but if one stared at it for a while, they would notice that its image seemed to flicker a little.

Hesitant, I reached out to touch the body's arm. My fingers didn't sense any contact when they grazed the skin. In fact, it felt like I was just moving through thin air. Taking one step further, I plunged my hand into the limb.

The body suddenly became violently distorted. I yelped and jerked my arm back. The corpse returned to normal. My lips formed a tight line. An illusion, and a very detailed one at that. It must have taken a lot of effort to create.

What could be so important to hide with that much effort?

"Weiss! The relief team's here!" Yang's annoyingly loud voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"One moment," I called back. "I need to check something out!"

"Whatever." The blonde huntress disappeared out the door, leaving me alone with the puppet master.

At the end of its usefulness, the illusion faded as quiet footsteps approached. I turned to face the one behind all of this.

My eyes widened. "Ruby?"

Before me stood a figure shrouded in an unmistakably red cloak. Familiar strands of red-tipped hair peaked out from under the hood, highlighting the owner's pale complexion.

Out of pure joy, I did something I never thought I would do: I ran up and hugged her. I wasn't sure what possessed me to do it, yet the embrace felt strangely right. Ruby tensed before slowly pushing me away.

"I am sorry." The cloak figure removed her hood. "But I am not your friend."

The world around me seemed to shatter into tiny pieces. Both the stranger and Ruby had the same red traveling cloak, black crimson-tipped hair, pale-white skin, soft yet oddly sharp facial features, and liquid mercury eyes. But that's where the similarities ended. For one, the stranger was five to eight years older and fairly taller than Ruby. Her long hair was tied back in a low ponytail. Underneath her cloak, she wore a traditional samurai kimono dyed a deep scarlet with a simple black design. A sheathed katana lay at her hip.

I bowed my head, too depressed to be embarrassed. The samurai gazed down at me bearing a mixed look of pity and guilt. My sorrow made me forget what I was even doing here.

"Power is sought to cure one's grief, yet strength without reason drags man further into his own abyss. I have learned this the hard way." I glanced up at her with question in my eyes. "I've seen that look of hopelessness in your eyes before: it's the look of someone who has lost something dear to them, and in turn, loses them self. You feel worthless and weak. These emotions will soon turn into a feral need to become stronger."

The stranger grimaced slightly, as if remembering a bad taste. "Unguided, one will turn into a wandering demon, blindly seeking to add to their own power. But." She stared deep into my eyes, like she could see the soul underneath. "If one strives for a clear goal, pure of heart, they may regain what has been lost."

Turning on her heels, she began to walk away. "If you want your see your friend alive again, meet me tonight at the clearing were you met Onyx."

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***Laughs hysterically* Oh my gosh, I am such a troll! I bet most of you thought 'OMG, IT'S RUBY! FINALLY AFTER ONLY ONE CHAPTER THEY ARE REUNITED!' and I was like 'Nope. Just a random Ruby-lookalike. Trollololololol'  
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**Anyways, please review, favorite and follow. I'll try to respond to reviews from now on to get a better idea what you guys think. Ciao. **


	5. 4: Trust

**Hehehe... I have a feeling you guys are angry at me for the fake out... so extra long chapter! Yeaz... Just as a fore-warning, there will probably be another fake-Ruby in the future, BUT I will have the real Ruby appearing before then. There is a reason the stranger looks a lot like Ruby, and it isn't to troll you guys, but I wouldn't tell you because of spoilers.  
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**Warning: Major character development ahead! And I mean major! **

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Chapter 4

Trust

(Blake's POV)

My breath came out in ragged gasps as sweat poured down my face. The echoes of my footfalls bounced off the steel crates around me. I had to get away. I had to get away before _it_ found me.

Exhausted, I stopped for a quick rest. What was that thing? It looked like a vampire but had a massive Aura that a hundred huntsmen put together couldn't hope to measure up to. What I saw was simply impossible. Vampires may produce a fake Aura, but it was just for blending in with regular humans.

"Come out, come out, where-ever you are." A sickening sweet voice called out, sending chills down my spine. A woman wearing a black sleeveless kimono shirt and tan trousers walked out from behind one of the containers. My heart stopped. _No, no, no!_ I internally screamed as I darted the other direction as fast as my legs could carry me.

Instantly, one of my legs locked up and sent me flying into the pavement. _What the..?_ I tried to get up, but my body refused to work. I was completely helpless.

"Is something wrong?" The vampire gazed down at me, an odd emotion stirring in her eye. "Did your body quit working? Shame, I love the chase." She snatched up my arm hungrily and ran her tongue over it. "Well, food is food."

Just as the Grimm was about to sink her fangs into me, another voice rang out, "Onyx! She has already given us results, must we take her blood, too?"

"But-" The young raven-haired woman protested.

"Enough!" A second woman stepped into my line of vision. "We have obtained what we came for. Staying any longer will attract unwanted attention. Wipe the girl's memories and leave. We can't keep White waiting forever."

Onyx grunted and turned back to me. The last thing I remember clearly was her glowing red eye before everything became a chaotic mess of senseless bits of sound and color.

(Line Break)

"Are you sure this Onyx is the same vampire you encountered at the warehouse?" Ozpin asked after I finished my story.

"There is no doubt in my mind."

Glynda typed in something on her scroll. "Do you have any other details on the woman with her?"

Frowning, I raked my brain for anything I forgot. "She was wearing a cloak, so I couldn't see her face very well. I think she was about the same height, if not taller, than Onyx. I'm pretty sure she wasn't a vampire."

The headmaster raised an eyebrow. "A human and a vampire working together? Quite strange, indeed." He stood up from one of the chairs placed next to my bed. "I'm sorry to disturb you while you're recovering, Miss Belladona. The attack has left all of us high-strung."

"It's no problem." I shifted uneasily under the covers. _You're not the only one who wants answers._

As the professors left, I couldn't help but wonder who exactly Onyx and her mysterious partner were. If her partner was really human, the Aura I felt must have been hers. But how could a single soul produce that much raw power?

I read somewhere that there are three main ways to increase Aura: Training, glyphs, and Oni. I knew about the first two; however, I had no knowledge of the third. When I tried to find a book on it at the Beacon library, the librarian told me that they were forbidden to all but the teachers. What was so special about Oni that it had to be kept secret?

(Weiss' POV)

I gazed out the window at the setting sun, the stranger's words echoing through my mind. A part of me felt that I could trust her with my very soul, but the other screamed to get as far away from her as possible. The clash of the two voices left me frozen in place.

Closing my eyes, I leaned my head against the cool glass. Why did I ever begin to trust this person?

_Because she reminds you of Ruby, and Ruby would never dream of letting you down._ The first voice answered quietly.

_It's all a trick!_ The second voice shouted. _No matter how much they look alike, they are not the same person! The stranger is trying to manipulate us!_

_Has it ever crossed your extremely narrow mind that she maybe only trying to help us? She probably wants to save Ruby, too!_

_What is a little girl to a demon?_

_What makes you think she's a demon?_

_Humans can never achieve that level of power without losing their humanity. It's obvious that this person isn't human anymore, if they ever were._

The shouting match steadily grew louder until I was drowning in the sound. A migraine took hold, threatening to cave my head in. My fingers dug into my scalp as I suppressed a tortured howl.

_Someone, please, just give me an answer!_ I mentally pleaded.

Then, the noise and pain disappeared. The only sound was of children playing. Confused, my eyes slowly flickered open. A simple playground surrounded by a few evergreens stood before me. To the right, a large two-story building watched over them. _How..?_

"Children!" The only adult in the premises called. "Gather around!" With a few grunts and groans, the kids obeyed. Curious, I followed. Oddly enough, they didn't seem to notice me.

"Is everyone here?" The woman asked when the children settled.

"Freaky Mc-Rose isn't here!" A guy in front of me looking about sixteen shouted.

"Yea, Ms. 'I-hear-voices' isn't here!" One of his friends echoed.

"Figures," Their caretaker sighed. "Anyways, today we have a new addition to our orphanage. Meet Suzie." A faunus with a tiger's tail peaked out shyly behind the woman.

"Great, another freak. Just what we needed." The boy from earlier murmured.

The caretaker continued telling everyone to treat her with respect and all of the jazz. After her little speech, I approached her.

"Excuse me, but can you tell me where I am?" I said, trying to be as polite as possible. The woman didn't even spare me a glance. Growling, I tried again, "Can you stop being so rude and answer me?" Again, no response.

"Don't bother." The voice of the stranger sounded from behind me. "The events playing out before you are ones of the past."

I turned around and met her gaze. "And what does that mean?"

"It's a memory. Not yours or mine, but of someone else you know."

"Onyx Rose! Where have you been?" The caretaker suddenly spoke up. _Onyx Rose?_ That name made my body tense. _It can't be…_

A young teen stood in the doorway of the house. Mud caked her torn clothes and wild hair. A rag was tied around her right eye, placed as if to hide a horrible secret. The other eye was shadowed by her filthy black mane. Her posture was that of someone who had been beaten senseless, yet the only sign of harm was the streak of red under her lip.

"Look who broke out of the asylum. How was life on the loony side?" The teenage oppressor laughed, pleased with his joke.

Onyx paid no heed to him. Instead, she stared at the faunus cowering behind the orphanage owner, her dark silver eye showed zero emotion.

The tormenter's friend bumped his shoulder and quipped, "Hey, looks like 'Insane' is shocked to find another member of her own species. I bet she has scales under that dirty cloth she wears." Her eye widening, Onyx stepped back.

"Well, let's find out!" The teen lunged forward before the caretaker could stop him and yanked off Onyx's makeshift eye patch. He began to laugh, but stopped when he saw the other eye. "Oh my God."

Twin orbs of crimson and mercury bore into the boy's soul. "You know, I used to have faith in humanity. But that was before my mother and sister were slaughtered by Grimm while the huntsmen who were suppose to protect us got _wasted_. I was the only one willing to stand up to them, yet the reward for my bravery was having my soul consumed! I-I…" Onyx was trembling to the point she couldn't form words. Blood dripped from her clinched fists.

"Failed. I failed to protect you." The vampire finished quietly, promptly calming down. She gazed sadly at her fellow orphans then vanished into a cloud of black rose petals. Time seemed to freeze after her departure.

"Was that…" I trailed off, not needing an answer. In all the classes I've taken on Grimm, vampires were said to lose all of their humanity, including pain and remorse, when they were bitten. But, the cavernous sorrow in Onyx's eyes could not be ignored. Was it possible that she still possessed some of her humanity?

"Yes. That was indeed Onyx, the vampire you have encounter several times, only a few week after she was turned." The stranger's face held an emotion I could not recognize.

"Why does she look so much different, then? I thought vampire always stayed the same."

A spark of an obscure darkness flickered in her eyes. "They do."

Irritated, I spun around and jabbed my finger into her chest. "Look. I am sick and tired of your silly games. I want answers. And I want them now!"

To my surprise, she only laughed and ruffled my hair, the darkness from before disappearing completely. Her touch arose an odd feeling in my stomach. "Okay, okay. What do you wish to know?"

"First, who exactly _are_ you?"

"Me?" The stranger asked, seemingly surprised by my question. "Oh, I am just a wanderer, trying to find her way in life."

_Lies._ The voice whispered. _Everything she's telling you is a lie. _

"A name would be nice." Annoyance dripped from my voice.

"Ah, yes. My name is War Rose, or just Rose, I really don't care what you call me." She continued defensively when she saw my look of disbelief. "What? It's a common name! If you hate it so much, call me Reaper instead!"

"Reaper? Didn't the vampires say something about..?" My mind put two and two together. Intense anger began to cloud my vision. "It was you!"

"Did I really just say that out loud?" Rose mused quietly.

I ignored her idiotic comment. "You're the one the vampires were after. You're the reason Ruby is gone!" Unsheathing Myrtenaster in blind rage, I shot forward and plunged the blade in Rose's heart.

For a moment, all reason was lost. I yanked out my bloodied rapier and bombarded the warrior with a drunken storm of steel. _How dare you! How dare you lead the Grimm to our school and take Ruby away from me! How dare your wear the same red as her! How dare you even look like Ruby! _

Then, everything stopped. Rose held Myrtenaster's blade still in the same indifferent manner Onyx did. All the warmth in her eyes had faded, leaving behind a blood-chilling ferocity. "And here I thought you really wanted your friend back. Too bad. Looks like I'll have to put an end to her all too short life, if you would call the state she's in living."

My eyes widened. "She's alive?"

"Of course she is. What would be the point of striking a deal with you if she wasn't?" Rose questioned, releasing my sword. "Even I can't raise the dead."

Myrtenaster hung loosely in my hand, pointing at the ground. I could only stand there dumbly as my mind tried to process the fact. "Where is she?" I asked when I snapped out of my trance.

"Somewhere you can't reach her, not yet anyways." Rose held out a pale hand. "I can help you reach that level. All you have to do is trust me."

_Don't do it._

I eyed her with suspicion. "What's the catch?"

"It's simple. I help you get what you want, and you help me get what I want."

My eyes narrowed further. "What is it you want?"

A great darkness awoken in her eyes, roaring with unimaginable rage and hate. The warrior's face twisted up into an unreadable expression. "The Sword of Animus. It's the only thing that can erase all my countless mistakes."

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**Rose is a common name, apparently... I'm just going to call her War is the ANs even though Weiss calls her Rose.****  
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**I have nothing else to say, so review and all that stuff.**


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